Kevin Garnett’s yoga swag is off the charts

Have you been wondering why Kevin Garnett hasn’t body slammed Zaza Pachulia or barked like a dog at Jose Calderon yet this season? Perhaps the NBA’s nobodies have the Celtics center’s yoga instructor to thank.

“I’d have all this energy, and I couldn’t control it,” he said. “Being in games, I’d get dumb fouls because I was just out of control, so I had a friend suggest yoga to me, and I tried it out. Not only did it help me stay flexible and durable, but it helped me center myself and understand the energy and know how to use it properly.”

Indeed, Garnett’s six seasons in Boston are among the least foul-happy of his career. To what yoga pose does KG credit that transformation in ZICO coconut water’s recent round of behind-the-scenes clips (h/t @CelticsTown)?

“I’m a down dog man, although my instructor likes to make sure that I’m up on all the new poses, including the one where I stand on my head,” he said. “It’s supposed to balance me out. So far, we’re still working on that.”

And have you also wondered how the 36-year-old continues to play 30 minutes a night at an All-Star level? Maybe 5:30 a.m. runs and meditation sessions on Malibu beaches as sharks swim past have something to do with it.

“This is the temple, and you have to take care of the temple,” said Garnett of his 6-foot-11, 253-pound frame. “A lot of parts of the season you’re rundown and you’re tired, but you still have to perform at a high level. When I’m deep in — like 30 games left, 40 games left — I just say, ‘Hey, remember the beach, remember your lessons from that, remember what you took from that, and try to incorporate it in everyday basketball.'”

There are exactly 30 games left in the season, starting Tuesday night against the Nuggets, and as KG said after his last regular-season game, “Everybody’s tired; nobody’s full of energy right now.” So, somewhere in Denver he’s probably thinking about that Los Angeles beach, and it has nothing to do with a potential Clippers trade.